Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

Dalton Trumbo (screen play)
Ted W. Lawson (based on the book) ...
(more)

Release Date:

November 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Tagline:

Heart-Warming Romance . . . Stark, Sensational Drama! Thrills! Action! Adventure! ...Ripped From The Heart!

Plot:

In the wake of Pearl Harbor, a young lieutenant leaves his expectant wife to volunteer for a secret bombing mission which will take the war to the Japanese homeland.

Plot Keywords:

Bomber | China | Aircraft Carrier | Japan | Doolittle Raid

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Van Johnson	...	Ted Lawson
Robert Walker	...	David Thatcher
Tim Murdock	...	Dean Davenport
Don DeFore	...	Charles McClure
Herbert Gunn	...	Bob Clever (as Gordon McDonald)
Phyllis Thaxter	...	Ellen Lawson
Stephen McNally	...	'Doc' White (as Horace McNally)
John R. Reilly	...	'Shorty' Manch
Robert Mitchum	...	Bob Gray
Scott McKay	...	Davey Jones
Donald Curtis	...	Lieut. Randall
Louis Jean Heydt	...	Lieut. Miller
William 'Bill' Phillips	...	Don Smith (as Wm. 'Bill' Phillips)
Douglas Cowan	...	'Brick' Holstrom
Paul Langton	...	Captain 'Ski' York
Leon Ames	...	Lieut. Jurika
Bill Williams	...	Bud Felton
Robert Bice	...	'Jig' White
Hsin Kung	...	Dr. Chung (as Dr. Hsin Kung)
Benson Fong	...	Young Dr. Chung
Ching Wah Lee	...	'Guerilla Charlie'
Alan Napier	...	Mr. Parker
Ann Shoemaker	...	Mrs. Parker
Dorothy Morris	...	Jane (as Dorothy Ruth Morris)
Jacqueline White	...	Emmy York
Selena Royle	...	Mrs. Reynolds
Spencer Tracy	...	Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dick Addison	...	Lieutenant (uncredited)
Morris Ankrum	...	William F. Halsey, Captain of the 'Hornet' (uncredited)
Jack Arkin	...	Jitterbugger (uncredited)
Tom Avera	...	Pilot in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Steve Barclay	...	Pilot in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Carlyle Blackwell Jr.	...	Pilot Singer (uncredited)
Karin Booth	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Steve Brodie	...	MP Corporal (uncredited)
Hazel Brooks	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Ralph Brooks	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Lucille Casey	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Wally Cassell	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Luke Chan	...	Chinese Runner (uncredited)
Mary Chan	...	School Teacher (uncredited)
Keye Chang	...	Chinese Officer (uncredited)
Lyle Clark	...	Pilot in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Eleanor Counts	...	Jitterbug (uncredited)
Elizabeth Dailey	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
John Dehner	...	Lieutenant Commander (uncredited)
Myrna Dell	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Hal Derwin	...	Singer in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Natalie Draper	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Johnny Duncan	...	Jitterbugger (uncredited)
Blake Edwards	...	Lt. Smith's Crewman (uncredited)
Harold Fong	...	Captain of Patrol Boat (uncredited)
John Gannon	...	Lt. Smith's Crewman (uncredited)
Leatrice Joy Gilbert	...	Girl (uncredited)
Charles Gordon	...	Sgt. Williams (uncredited)
Genevieve Grazis	...	Jitterbugger (uncredited)
Eddie Hall	...	Joe (uncredited)
Harry Hayden	...	Judge (uncredited)
Bill Healy	...	Eglin Captain (uncredited)
Shirlee Howard	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
John James	...	Lt. Smith's Crewman (uncredited)
Virgil Johanson	...	Eglin Colonel (uncredited)
John Kellogg	...	C-47 Transport Pilot (uncredited)
Mike Killian	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Charles King Jr.	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Michael Knudsen	...	Pilot in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Michael Kostrick	...	Pilot in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Joan Lawrence	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Edith Leach	...	Girl (uncredited)
Martin Lowell	...	Pilot in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Ann Lundeen	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Bob MacLean	...	Pilot in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Peggy Maley	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Jack McClendon	...	Dick Joyce (uncredited)
Beryl McCutcheon	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Bob McCutchin	...	Co-Pilot (uncredited)
Sybil Merritt	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Harlan Miller	...	Pilot in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Lorraine Miller	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Charles Mitchell	...	Pilot in Officers' Club (uncredited)
William Moss	...	Ship's Clerk (uncredited)
Frances E. Neal	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Jay Norris	...	Hallmark (uncredited)
Moroni Olsen	...	General (uncredited)
Noreen Roth	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Erin Selwyn	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Elaine Shepard	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Arthur Space	...	Deck Officer (uncredited)
Harold Sworland	...	Lieutenant (uncredited)
Bob Thom	...	Lieutenant Commander (uncredited)
Eugenia B. Thompson	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Brad Towne	...	Pilot in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Gordon Trigg	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
H.T. Tsiang	...	Wang Tsung (uncredited)
Joy Vahl	...	Jitterbugger (uncredited)
Peter Varney	...	Spike Henderson (uncredited)
Will Walls	...	Hoss Wyler (uncredited)
Richard Wang	...	Chinese Officer (uncredited)
Eve Whitney	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Kay Williams	...	Girl in Officers' Club (uncredited)
Wah Yee	...	Foo Ling (uncredited)

Directed by
Mervyn LeRoy

Writing credits
Dalton Trumbo		(screen play)
Ted W. Lawson		(based on the book) (as Captain Ted W. Lawson) and
Robert Considine		(based on the book)

Produced by
Sam Zimbalist	....	producer

Original Music by
Herbert Stothart

Cinematography by
Harold Rosson		(director of photography)
Robert Surtees		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Frank Sullivan		(film editor)

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons
Paul Groesse

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis		(set decorations)

Makeup Department
Jack Dawn	....	makeup creator

Production Management
William H. Cannon	....	unit manager (uncredited)
Walter Strong	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William H. Cannon	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Russ Haverick	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Leo Pepin	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Harold Rosson	....	second unit director (uncredited)
Wallace Worsley Jr.	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Ralph S. Hurst	....	associate set decorator
George E. Lee	....	props (uncredited)
Jack Martin Smith	....	assistant art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director
Standish J. Lambert	....	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)
Frank McKenzie	....	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)
Robert Shirley	....	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)
Newell Sparks	....	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)
William Steinkamp	....	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)
Michael Steinore	....	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)
John A. Williams	....	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
A. Arnold Gillespie	....	special effects
Donald Jahraus	....	special effects
Warren Newcombe	....	special effects
Donald Jahraus	....	model maker (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
A. Lindsley Lane	....	second camera (uncredited)
Robert Martin	....	second camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Kay Dean	....	associate costume supervisor
Irene	....	costume supervisor

Music Department
Murray Cutter	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Wally Heglin	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
M.J. McLaughlin	....	music mixer (uncredited)
Herbert Stahlberg	....	music mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Dean Davenport	....	technical advisor: Arny Air Force (uncredited)
H. Allen Fairbanks	....	technical advisor: Navy (uncredited)
Jimmy Garland	....	script clerk (uncredited)
Virginia Garland	....	script clerk (uncredited)
Wei Fan Hsueh	....	technical advisor: Chinese sequence (uncredited)
Ted W. Lawson	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (presents) (A Mervyn LeRoy Production)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1944) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1945) (France) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1955) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• MGM/UA Home Video (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Video (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (????) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Státní Pujcovna Filmu (????) (Czechoslovakia) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (????) (USA) (DVD) (as 'Warner WW2 Collection, Vol. 2')

Other Companies

• MGM/UA Home Video  VHS package design
• Turner Entertainment  VHS package design

Also Known As:

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Mandarin

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #10248) | Canada:PG (video rating) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Australia:PG | Netherlands:14 (original rating) (1949) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Chico, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Debut of John Dehner.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Ted Lawson's amputated left leg is briefly visible when he puts the sandal on his right foot.

Quotes:

Lt. Bob Gray:[pensively] When I was a kid, I used to dream about going someplace on a ship. Well, here I am!
Lt. Ted Lawson:And out there is Japan. My mother had a Jap gardener once. He seemed like a nice little guy.
Lt. Bob Gray:You know I don't hate Japs yet. It's a funny thing. I don't like them, but I don't hate them.
Lt. Ted Lawson:I guess, I don't either. You get kind of mixed up.
Lt. Bob Gray:Yeah.
Lt. Ted Lawson:It's hard to figure, yet here we are.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Giant Claw (1957)

Soundtrack:

The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You

A very accurate account of a major World War II event.

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo is the most accurate portrayal of the Doolittle Raid on Japan during World War II. Whenever a movie is made from a book, there are usually changes made for "dramatic effect". However, there does not seem to be any such changes in this movie, as there is plenty of drama in the original story. Most of the dialogue was taken directly from the book by the same name. There are some scenes that may seem to be "propaganda" or "corny", but one must remember that in 1943, the atmosphere was different in the United States and the rest of the world. All of the characters in the movie were real life people from the Doolittle Raid and from accounts in the book and other sources, they are accurately portrayed by the actors in the movie. The main character, Ted Lawson, was the original technical advisor, but he was replaced by Dean Davenport (Lawson's co-pilot) after Lawson was re-called to active duty. Most of the flying scenes were done with actual B-25's accurately marked and even the take-off, which was done on a sound stage, used real aircraft on an aircraft carrier mock-up. The scenes that used miniatures were also well done for the time period (before digital effects). The movie "Pearl Harbor" also has an account of the Doolittle Raid, but it is very, very inaccurate. This movie is worth watching for everyone who has a desire to see historical events and is a must for all aviation and military buffs.